The Department of Defense (DOD), per the requirements of the fiscal year 2000 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), this week issued the 2013 annual report to Congress on the Chinese military. This year’s report is a substantial expansion upon the 2012 report, nearly double in length, and with an extensive …
On March 28, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its annual assessment of the performance of the Department of Defense (DOD) in purchasing specific new weapons in a cost-efficient manner and reducing the overall cost to the taxpayers of a wide variety of weapons purchases. This year’s assessment was generally …
The Pentagon has approved a 500 percent personnel increase for Cyber Command—which protects the Pentagon’s information networks and engages in cyberspace operations—according to The Washington Post. In a world where cyber is becoming an increasingly important realm, few would disagree with the U.S. government’s desire for increased cyber capabilities. However, …
The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding hearings today on the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel (R–NE) to head the Department of Defense (DOD). The issues before the committee are both numerous and critically serious, such as the consequences for the defense budget of sequestration, nuclear zero, missile defense …
On January 13 the new Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Mike McCaul (R–TX) announced to The Hill that he had no plans to strip homeland security oversight responsibilities from his fellow Representatives. With over 100 panels and committees having oversight over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. …
“The readiness of our Armed Forces is at a tipping point.” That’s how General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee while discussing the Department of Defense’s (DOD) budget woes. He cites “budget conditions unfolding right now” as the …
The Heritage Foundation hosted its Homeland Security 2012 Conference on Wednesday. Several distinguished speakers warned that defense disaster response support to civil authorities is threatened by sequestration. The conference contributors included the Honorable Paul N. Stockton, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs; Vice Admiral Harvey …
The signs are growing that President Obama may once again trot out his new favorite tool—the executive order—to override the will of the people as represented by Congress. Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D–NV) failed to get the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 passed. Even with the last-minute horse trading that …
Administration officials recently spoke publicly for the first time about specifically how sequestration would undermine military readiness. Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and acting director of the Office of Management and Budget Jeffrey Zients argued that “sequestration would be devastating” to the Defense …
